Friday, December 25, 2009

It's complex but incredibly simple. This is a variation on the syrup used in the LME Poached Pear recipe but is likely more versatile.

Reason being is that you start with a sweet(er) wine.

I used this as a base for some whip cream tossed with strawberries. Quarter your berries and whip up the cream just before you get stiff peaks - you want to avoid stiff peaks here. Add about a TBS of Complex Syrup per ½ cup of cream whipped and gently mix in. Toss in the berries and you have a fantastic dessert. You can also use this:

- On other fruits- As a sub for balsamic vinegar in salads- On a cheese plate to complement heavy, stinky cheeses

Add all the ingredients to a small pot and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Once there, reduce heat to medium and gently boil until the contents have half evaporated.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into another pot. Bring back to a boil like before, then reduce to medium.

Once the liquid is nearly 80% reduced, keep an eye on it as it may erupt out of the pot. If this is happening, it means you're almost done so turn down the heat to medium-low. Reduce further until it's almost all foamy. When you remove it from the heat you should have a syrup left, and only about 3 TBS.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

My mother always turned it into chicken salad which, to this day, I'm not fond of. But my buddy Jim brought some precooked chicken over to us from Canales Brothers Deli (I was a bit under the weather) and I made some pita sandwiches out of them the next night.

The problem with the pita is that bites aren't universal. You get a bite of this, bite of that, and on a rare occasion a bite of the whole thing. This is not a complaint, but rather an observation. I'm a whole kind'a bite kind'a guy. Hence the beauty of the sandwich.

Here's what I did. It's quick, easy, and damned tasty. Also pretty healthy when you think about it. This makes enough for two sandwiches.

In a small dipping bowl, add 1 TBS of boiling water into the Herbs de Provence. Let rest for five minutes. Mix the herbs into the yogurt.

Cut the chicken into long, thin strips. Drizzle with about 1 TBS of olive oil and let sit for about 5 minutes. Preheat a skillet to medium.

Cut your bread lenghtwise and toast to a nice, crisp brown. While toasting, quickly sear the chicken in the pan to just warm it up; you do not want to brown it. Add more oil to the pan if necessary.

On the bottom bread slice spread a generous amount (about 1½ TBS) of the yogurt-herb mix. Layer some chicken slices, feta to your liking, pickle slices, cucumbers, tomatoes, and drizzle with a little olive oil. On the top sandwich half spread about a TBS of humus or more. Add a few pitted olives, if desired. Place the top on and spike the sandwich with long picks to hold it together.

General Disclaimers - READ PLEASE

Most of these recipes are originals or based on another that I’ve found. If so I give credit to its source.

Measurements are approximate! When cooking I just eyeball what I’m doing so there’s no need to be fixated about what’s happening here. You can be off by 25% and still be OK unless stated otherwise.

All temperatures are in Farehnheit. Farenheight? Whatever. Degrees what us US folks use.

Typically these recipes will serve four persons and can be done in an hour or less.

I tend to make things hot and spicy so assume that if I’ve got it in there, it’s going to be felt/tasted. If you’re sensitive to this cut back on the heat. Same goes for garlic.

ALWAYS use fresh ground pepper. If not, go out and buy a pepper mill and then you can call yourself a cook.

ALWAYS use fresh parsley and basil. Grow it in the summer - it's easier than growing weeds. Don’t even bother with dried. If you've got dried in your house don't even feed it to the dog. This should be criminal.

I tend to UNDER salt dishes so adjust as desired after cooking. I also use kosher salt; if using table salt cut amounts I call for by ~25%. [Size matters. Ha ha? Get it? Kosher salt is bigger?]

Speaking of salt, use unsalted butter...always.

Have a glass of your favorite [alcoholic] beverage while cooking. It makes it much more fun and relaxing. You'd be amazed at your creativity, or creative destruction, in a mildly buzzed state.

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About Me

Hi all. I love to eat so I had to learn how to cook. I've been living in Nantes (France) for about a year and originally from Washington, DC. Not once have I worked in a kitchen, except in college. By training I'm a molecular virologist who later went to business school and now spend my days in the biotech biz doing biz development.
Weird, eh?